


Baby Weight

by goshinote



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Inuyasha is a good husband, Mentions of Sex, Post-Canon, no actual sex though, postpartum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:00:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29208516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goshinote/pseuds/goshinote
Summary: Three months after giving birth, Kagome is still experiencing some postpartum body changes. Inuyasha comforts her, hoping to remind her just how beautiful she is, especially after having their child.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha
Comments: 14
Kudos: 123





	Baby Weight

**Author's Note:**

> Because women have baby weight after giving birth and their stomachs don't go back to completely flat and it's beautiful and natural and amazing <3

It had been three months.

Three months of disrupted sleep at night, of baby laughs and coos, and of unending bliss.

When Moroha was born, Inuyasha had been simultaneously overjoyed and terrified. There was something so...incomprehensible about becoming a father, and he’d been so worried about screwing up the kid.

But Kagome...Kagome had been the most wonderful mother ever since they’d learned of her pregnancy. 

Getting to watch her grow with his child as her belly rounded and her breasts became fuller with milk as the pregnancy went on...it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

Even after she’d given birth, when there had still been remnants of the stretching of her skin on her stomach, her many stretch marks and lingering skin, she’d still been the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

Even more beautiful, if that were even possible, now that there was evidence on her body that she’d borne his child. 

Wrapping his arm around her at night the first three nights after she’d had the baby, with the slightly squishy new skin around her stomach, had been one of the most special experiences he’d ever been able to enjoy.

Until...it stopped.

Kagome no longer allowed him to sleep with his chest against her back and his arm around her waist. She always insisted on being the “big spoon” as she’d called it, which was fine with him, as long as he got to touch her as he slept.

But the biggest change…

Kagome no longer wanted to make love.

She’d warned him that they wouldn’t be able to do that for at least six weeks after the baby was born, which didn’t bother him in the slightest. The last thing he would ever, ever want to do was hurt her, so he was willing to wait as long as she needed.

But then six weeks became seven, and seven became eight, and eight became nine, and so on, up until they hit the three-month mark.

Three months without making love and, after careful thought and realization, without seeing Kagome fully unclothed.

She always insisted on bathing alone while Inuyasha took care of Moroha or simply wearing a bathing yukata if Inuyasha asked if they could all bathe together as a family. He’d always dreamt of Kagome holding Moroha above the water while Inuyasha distracted her from Kagome’s washing by making silly faces or wiggling his ears.

It hadn’t happened once, and he was disappointed about that.

But Kagome didn’t want to do it, so he wouldn’t press her.

In the year-and-a-half that they’d been married, he’d learned to read her and to be more forthcoming about his feelings. She’d been taken from him for three years, and during that time, he’d resolved to never take her for granted again.

Which meant he understood her, the more grown-up Kagome, even better than he’d anticipated.

That was how he knew something was wrong. Before Moroha’s conception and even during the pregnancy, they’d made love regularly. Not quite nightly, but often enough that they were both sated and happy.

And Kagome had always mentioned having at least two children, so if they didn’t make love, how would that happen?

When Kagome was pregnant, they’d talked about waiting a year after Moroha was born to think about having another baby, but now Inuyasha wondered if they would ever be able to if Kagome refused to let him touch her anymore than was necessary.

He missed touching his wife, but he was more concerned about _her_ than anything.

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome bit her lip and tied her hakama, hating how tight it still felt on her stomach.

Kaede had offered to let her keep the larger pair she’d given her during the pregnancy, but something in Kagome felt too embarrassed to keep it. She’d given it back to Kaede a week after having Moroha and had been squeezing into her usual hakama ever since.

She’d had to arrange the top part of her clothing to hide the strain in the waistline.

It was humiliating.

She’d taken health classes in high school. She knew what happened to women’s bodies during pregnancy. 

It had been one of Inuyasha’s favorite things to see.

Kagome had to smile at the memories of him when she was pregnant. Her baby bump had been his most favorite thing, and even though she became more uncomfortable as the pregnancy went on, his constant worship of her body had gotten her through it.

After giving birth, she expected to go back to the way she looked before she got pregnant. She figured it would be like a balloon: once Moroha was out, her stomach would “pop” and go back to flat.

She was very, very wrong.

Her stomach hadn’t gone back to what it was, and by the third day postpartum, when she looked just as pregnant as she’d been at nine months along, she stopped allowing Inuyasha to touch her.

It was moritifying...she no longer had the thin figure of the eighteen-year-old who had come back through the well and married Inuyasha a year-and-a-half earlier. 

When she’d first felt Inuyasha’s hand glide over her stomach a day postpartum, she’d bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut, wondering how gross he thought she was.

He’d never said anything, just kissed her along her neck before falling asleep as usual, until Moroha woke them up a few hours later.

She figured it would take a week for her stomach to go back down, but when it hadn’t, her insecurity only grew. That was definitely _not_ something they’d mentioned in her health classes.

Moreover, her libido had been a little crazy after she’d given birth because of all the hormones, as well as seeing Inuyasha care so deeply for their child, but she never allowed herself to be intimate with him. She wanted him, probably more than ever, but she kept herself from giving into the desire. She never undressed in front of him anymore, either, and managed to avoid him seeing her naked even when they bathed together.

So it had been three months. 

Three months of bliss from being a mother and seeing Inuyasha as a father, but also three months of insecurity, of not making love to her husband, and of just feeling...gross.

She needed another opinion. She needed to know if she was normal and if this would go away.

o.O.o

“Oh, that’s normal,” Sango said when Kagome asked.

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief as she adjusted Moroha in her arms where she was seated in Sango’s home. “Oh, good. So how long will it stay like that? It’s been three months...shouldn’t it go away soon?”

Sango paused and looked at her. “Kagome...it might get a bit smaller eventually, but it doesn’t really ever go away.” Kagome’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean?” she asked. “There’s no baby in there now.”

“Kagome, your body carried a life in it for nine months,” she pointed out. “It stretched...everything. It doesn’t just bounce back.”

Kagome’s eyes brimmed with tears. “But...I feel so _huge_ still. It’s just not going to go away?”

Sango reached out to pat Kagome’s hand.

“Hey,” she soothed, “it’s not such a bad thing. Here, look.”

Sango untied her kimono enough to reveal just her stomach.

Kagome peered at it, noticing that Sango had a similar round swell of skin on her abdomen.

“That looks like what I have,” Kagome said. Sango smiled.

“Exactly,” she replied. “It happens to all women. Pregnancy is the most difficult thing a woman’s body can go through, but it’s also the most beautiful.”

Sango looked radiant with her excess skin, but Kagome felt like she herself could never look so nice. 

She forced a smile. “Thanks, Sango.”

Kagome changed the subject, not wanting to cry in front of Sango.

o.O.o

The next day, Kagome was in her and Inuyasha’s home burping the baby after nursing her, waiting for Inuyasha to return from a job with Miroku.

“I’m home,” Inuyasha announced before walking in.

He smiled brightly when he saw Kagome and Moroha.

“Hi,” Kagome greeted as Inuyasha came to sit beside them.

“Hey.” Inuyasha pressed a kiss to her lips before placing a few others on her cheeks. He turned his attention to Moroha, making grabby hands until Kagome handed her to him.

Kagome smiled as she watched Inuyasha coo at Moroha, making silly faces and giving her little kisses all over her face.

Her heart swelled with love as she watched them.

Inuyasha caught her gaze and smiled. “I hope you two didn’t miss me too much.”

Kagome laughed. “Oh, you know. Just the usual amount.”

Inuyasha reached over to gently grip the back of her neck, pulling her in for a kiss.

It lit a fire in her, one that hadn’t been touched in three months.

She pulled away after a moment, not wanting to give into temptation and risk embarrassment at her body.

She smiled at him when they parted, turning her attention to the baby in Inuyasha’s arms.

“Moroha has already had her dinner,” she chirped. “I’ll get started on ours, Inuyasha.”

She didn’t miss the concerned look on Inuyasha’s face.

o.O.o

Later that night after Moroha had been put to bed, Kagome lay down on her futon with Inuyasha.

As usual, she casually rolled over to face him so he wouldn’t try to hold her from behind. What Sango had told her only upset her more, only strengthened her resolve to not let Inuyasha get close to her.

Inuyasha watched her for a moment, searching her eyes intensely.

Before she could ask what was going through his mind, he leaned forward and kissed her.

Kagome melted into it, making sure to keep her body from pressing against his but returning his kiss all the same.

When Inuyasha deepened the kiss, she tried to keep herself level-headed, knowing she would have to end it before it went too far.

Inuyasha’s hand moved up to cup her neck before moving down her side. Before he could reach her waist, Kagome pulled away and lay down on the pillow.

“I’m tired,” she said casually. “Let’s go to sleep.”

“Kagome,” Inuyasha said seriously, reaching up to cup her cheek. “What’s wrong? I can tell something is bothering you. It’s been bothering you for awhile, right?”

Kagome shook her head. “Nothing is bothering me.”

He frowned at her. “Come on, woman. I know you better than that. You haven’t wanted to...be intimate in awhile, which is _totally_ fine. But I can tell there’s a not-so-great reason behind it, and I can tell that it's upsetting you. You know you can tell me anything.” His thumb gently stroked her cheek. “What’s wrong?”

Kagome bit her lip, tears pooling in her eyes at the concern on Inuyasha’s face.

“I…” she trailed off, looking away from him in shame. “I’m so sorry.” Tears began to fall as she squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to meet Inuyasha’s gaze.

“Hey,” Inuyasha murmured, pulling her into his arms. “I’m here, Kagome.”

When she felt his arms wrap around her, his hands came dangerously close to touching the roll of extra skin around her middle.

She pulled away like she always did.

Inuyasha gently took her chin in his hand, turning her head so she would meet his gaze.

“Tell me what’s going on,” he pleaded. “You’re not happy. I can tell.”

Kagome shook her head. “I am happy. I’m so happy, Inuyasha.” She hesitated. “It’s just...I haven’t wanted to be intimate because…”

She took a deep breath. “My body doesn’t look like it used to. I thought it would go back to how it looked before I got pregnant, but it never did and it’s been _three_ months.” She sniffled. “I don’t even recognize myself anymore.”

Inuyasha’s eyes widened. “Kagome, why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve helped.”

Kagome shook her head. “You can’t help. This can’t...this can’t be fixed. It won’t go away.”

Inuyasha looked at her for a moment before he spoke again.

“Do you trust me, Kagome?” 

Kagome sniffled again and nodded.

Inuyasha kissed her gently before sitting up. He gently rolled Kagome onto her back and began to untie her obi.

“Wait,” Kagome said, putting her hands on his to keep him from parting her sleeping yukata.

“Trust me,” Inuyasha murmured. Kagome bit her lip, but Inuyasha was the one she trusted most in the world, the one she loved the most aside from Moroha, and she knew he would never hurt her.

Kagome finally nodded, moving her hands and allowing him to part her yukata.

He smiled when he saw her body, only covered by her undergarments. She’d taken to tying a cloth around her breasts to prevent excess milk leakage.

Inuyasha looked up at her and kissed her again.

“I’ve never seen you so beautiful, Kagome,” he murmured. “After seeing you pregnant, I didn’t think it was possible for you to be more beautiful, but seeing you now...knowing you’ve had my child...you’re perfect.”

More tears began to fill Kagome’s eyes as Inuyasha set his hands on her.

His touches started on her shoulders before he slowly slid them down to her breasts. He skimmed the sides before continuing his touches.

When he reached the skin around her waist, Kagome winced and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Hey,” Inuyasha said. “Look at me, Kagome. Please.”

Kagome opened her eyes as more tears spilled from her shame.

But then she saw Inuyasha’s face.

He was smiling in a way she’d never seen, his eyes bright and filled with _so_ much love it was indescribable.

He ran his hands over the skin, gently brushing his claws over it the entirety of her stomach before he leaned down and began to place kisses everywhere he could reach.

“Beautiful,” he murmured between every kiss.

More tears fell from Kagome’s eyes, but they were no longer of embarrassment. They were of relief, love, contentment.

Inuyasha looked up at her again, keeping his hands on her stomach, and gave her that same smile.

“Do you believe me now?” he asked. “That you’re beautiful?”

Kagome took in a shaky breath. “I think it will take me awhile to feel that way about myself, but...you’ve made me feel _so_ much better, Inuyasha.”

Inuyasha smiled and leaned down to kiss her. “Good.”

He went to pull away, but Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck, keeping his lips against hers.

She put all of her emotions in the kiss.

“I want you,” she said breathlessly.

“Are you sure?” Inuyasha asked. Kagome nodded and deepened the kiss.

Inuyasha’s soft touches on her body soon turned to heated caresses, igniting the fire in her.

He was gentle in their lovemaking, allowing Kagome’s body to get used to the motions again. She’d mentioned that making love might be different after having the baby, and she was right.

It was...better. He felt fuller, more complete. He felt like he filled her better, loved her better.

When he told her that in the throes of passion, she agreed wholeheartedly. 

And after, when they were lying in their sated afterglow, Kagome rolled onto her side, allowing Inuyasha to curl around her back with his hands roaming over her naked stomach.

He kissed her cheek, making a line down her neck and to her bare shoulder then back up again.

“I love you,” he said softly.

“I love you, too,” she replied, turning her head to kiss him a final time. She laughed lightly.

“I’ll admit...I’ve been squeezing into my old hakama,” she said. “So...I’ll go get some bigger ones from Kaede tomorrow.”

Inuyasha chuckled. “That’s probably a good idea.” He paused for a moment. “But, Kagome…”

At his change in tone of voice, Kagome turned her head again to meet his gaze.

“I don’t want you to hurt like that alone ever again,” he said. “Please just...tell me when something is upsetting you. I can’t protect you from it if I don’t know what’s happening.”

Kagome nodded. “Okay, I will.” Inuyasha smiled and pulled her closer.

“Thank you,” he murmured.

Kagome knew she should be the one thanking him, but she allowed them to fall into a peaceful silence before they drifted off to sleep, only to be awoken by Moroha an hour later.

As Kagome nursed her, she caught Inuyasha’s eye and smiled.

“What?” she asked quietly.

Inuyasha shook his head. “I’m just admiring my wife. My beautiful, amazing, _incredible_ wife.”

Kagome blushed and laughed. She finished nursing Moroha before burping her. Once she’d soothed the baby back to sleep and gotten her laid down, Kagome went back over to the futon and curled up against Inuyasha.

He held her close, breathing in her scent and nuzzling her hair.

And Kagome had never felt so content.

FIN.


End file.
